How to Discourage a Skunk?
I've been googling the subject and found a lot of disjointed input. Thought I'd try to focus the issue and get some ideas about the relative merits.
My yard is fenced on two sides and the back, with 6' chain link, but the front is open on both sides. I have a 6'x8' metal shed in a back corner about a foot from the fence. It sits on a wooden platform on cinder blocks that were intended to seal the perimeter.
A skunk has made the area under the shed one of the homes on his route.
I've killed one skunk with ammonia, boy was that a mess, but another has taken his place.
I keep plugging his access holes, but he makes new ones.
So, I've been looking at alternative strategies.
Conventional wisdom is that you can bury fence about two feet deep around the perimeter to solve the problem. Given my lack of tools and the amount of time I'm willing to expend, I'm thinking that there's no way I can bury two feet of fence without seriously impacting the soil density and will have settling problems. So, What about laying the fence flat just under the surface for two feet around the perimeter of the foundation? Is the little bugger likely to figure out that he has to back up two feet to get under it?
How about opening up the perimeter??? What does the guy want? He wants a safe place to sleep.
Instead of trying to seal the perimeter, what If I raise it up another cinder block just at the corners so there's no shelter under there? Is that likely to discourage him?
I'm also looking at active deterrents. Like a stun-gun that fires off a couple-hundred-thousand volts into a wire grid every few minutes. That's a lot simpler than motion detection.
Ideas? mike